Chew boullette (fish balls)

boullettes
680 grams of boneless white fish chopped up
2 onions chopped finely
2 slices bread (moisten with water if using fresh fish)
1 T parsley
1/8 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper
pinch of salt
1 cube of maggie
2 t garlic powder

blend ingredient in your blender or food processor and make small balls, fry in oil than set aside

chew
fry one chopped onion until translucent, add 1 garlic clove pressed, a cube of maggie and 2 cans of tomato paste add vegetables of your choice, carrot, potato, cabbage and enough water to cover them and simmer until cooked

*note, you can make your boullettes small like marbles omit the veggies from the stew to make a sauce and serve over benechin (the recipe I'm linking is made with meat but substitute fish) this dish is called jagua

liver

2 onions chopped
1 pound of liver sliced

marinade the liver  at least an hour  before cooking
 one chopped onion
a maggi cube
salt and pepper
two pressed garlic cloves

fry liver in a small amount of oil with the remaining onion until brown do not overcook add a teaspoon of lemon juice stir and serve with rice and salad.

Date almond tea ring

make a sweet bread

dissolve
1 tsp sugar, in
1/2 cup lukewarm water
sprinkle 1 pack of yeast, (2 1/4 tsp) over this
let sit for at least 10 minutes until it foams up

In a large bowl

1 cup of milk(scalded)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
2 tlbs wheat germ(optional)
1 egg slightly beaten

stir yeast mixture and add to milk mix

beat in 2 cups of flour (beat well)

gradually add 2 -3 cups more of flour until it pull away from the sides
knead for about 10 minutes on a floured surface adding 1 tlbs of flour at a time if it become sticky
form into a smooth ball and place in a greased bowl making sure to rotate ball to grease it all over
cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled (2 hours)
punch down and knead for a couple minutes
cut in half making 2 balls using only half
roll out into a rectangle
brush edges with butter

sprinkle with this mixture

1/4 cup brown sugar lightly packed
1/3 cup dates pitted and chopped
1/4 cup chopped almonds

roll up like a jelly roll
make a ring and slit eadges 3/4 way though turning slightly
let rise again for about 45 minutes covered

preheat oven to 400 and bake for 20 to 25 minutes

(you may want to use the other half of the dough to make doughnuts or cinnamon buns)

Pastry for Meat Pies

2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
4 oz butter or shortening
Ice water
1 ½ tsp curry powder (optional)

Sift together flour, curry and salt add butter and combine using a pastry blender or your finders until I’s coarse.

Add just enough water to hold the dough together

Put into a ball wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour

Remove pastry from fridge and let come to room temperature about 15 minutes, roll out on a a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness

Cut dough into circles with a cookie cutter place meat on half and fold over . seal pastry with fork

Cook in a preheated 400 * oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown

Jinnejobe (ngalakh)

4 cups bouye or any tropical juice
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 can milk(optional)

blend all ingredients well, a blender is ideal, put in a container and place in fridge to cool

4 cups cooked millet or couscous

dish out warm millet in bowls and serve cooled jinnejobe over, you can add any dried or fresh fruit. I would eat this at breakfast as it is really filling.

This is also called ngalakh check out the recipe in the congo cookbook i don't usually have orange flower water on hand so i didn't include it in the recipe.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Marinade 2 pounds of chicken for at least 2 hours with this

6 cloves garlic
2 tlbs soy sauce
2 in ginger peeled and sliced
1/3 cup lime juice
3 tlbs olive oil

Grind all ingredients together rub over chicken and place in a bowl or plastic bag, bake or grill until cooked.

(since I lost my camera this pic can be found here)

Hodge Podge

This is a Nova Scotian classic stew that is made with fresh garden vegetables

2 cups Baby Potatoes (scrubbed not peeled)
1 cups Baby Carrots (scrubbed not peeled)
2 cups Young tender string Beans (yellow and green)
1 cups Fresh Peas
1 cup Cream and or 1 can of milk

1/4 pound of butter

cook vegetables in order of their cooking times in the least amount of water, when finished add your milk or cream and butter let sit for a half an hour to allow the milk to absorb into the veggies.

basic bread

I'm not the best baker but I thought my bread turned out pretty tasty

in a large bowl
1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbs wheat germ
1 tbs oil

cool to lukewarm

in another small bowl, dissolve
1 tsp sugar , in
1/2 cup lukewarm water
sprinkle 1 pack of yeast over, let sit until it foams up
stir well and add to large bowl

add 4 cups of flour beating well after each cup until it pulls away from bowl
knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes
shape into a smooth ball, grease ball and place in a large bowl in a warm place covered until doubled
punched down, knead for about 5 minutes roll out into rectangle than roll up sealing edges with water
slit the top 3 times with a sharp knife and let rise again

bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated 400* oven

Banana split dessert

I didn't have a picture ready for this recipe but it is a layered pie like dessert. This recipe is compliments of my uncle Art:)









First layer:
2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
mix and press into a 13 x 9 pan, chill

Second layer:
1/2 cup butter
8 0z package cream cheese
11/2 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla
mix and spread over first layer

Third layer:
19 0z can crushed pineapple drained
3 sliced bananas
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
mix fruit, put on second layer

Topping:
1 container of cool whip or prepared dream whip
1/4 cup coconut (optional)
spread over third layer; sprinkle with coconut

let set in fridge all day or overnight

enjoy

nokos

Nokos is a wollof word meaning tasty spice mix, it is used in African homes to flavor many soups and stews.

1 garlic clove
1 onion chopped
1 habanero pepper
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp whole pepper
1 tsp sea salt

grind all ingredients together, use to suit your taste

Ceebu Yapp

Ceebu Yapp is wollof for rice and meat which is usually cooked in one pot, there are variations to this recipe ceebu ginaar rice and chicken or benechin rice and fish, benechin has a special rub that is placed on the fish, that recipe here, back to ceebu yapp:)

1/2 cup oil
1/2 pound of lamb or beef
1 onion diced
1 garlic clove minced
2 carrots roughly cut
1 small eggplant
1 potato cut in half
1 sweet potato cut in half
1 cassava
1 small cabbage cut in wedges
6 okra pods
1 cup of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 bouillon cube
2 pinches of sugar
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 habanero pepper
3 cups of broken rice
6 cups of water

fry meat in oil until browned add onion and garlic and cook just to release flavour

add water, tomato paste, stir until smooth add all spices and veggies cooking order(carrots, cabbage take longer so cook for about 20 minutes than add the rest) simmer until all are cooked

wash and drain rice

you can do this 2 ways (1) lift meat and veggies out of pot and keep warm add rice and cook on low heat covered until cooked about 20 minutes, serve on a platter with meat and veggies on top or (2) add rice to pot and cook for 20 minutes, serve on platter

Usually there in the prized browned rice stuck to the bottom of the pot called knogn that is all too happy to be received or kept to yourself.

Use whatever veggies you have on hand, nothing here is written in stone :)

Rof

Rof is a condiment to stuff fish used in African homes

get that pestle and mortal out :)
1 habanero pepper
bunch of parsley
bay leaf
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
sea salt
pepper

grind to a smooth paste

play around with this recipe to make it your own, maybe add lemon rind or leave out the habanero pepper

Yassa

You will be crying tears of joy after eating this:) This is a very popular West African dish, enjoy!

2 or 3 pounds of fish or meat (chicken is traditionally used) cut to your liking
4 or 5 onions sliced thin
1/2 cup of lemon or lime juice (you can use vinegar just use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup of oil
2 habanero peppers
1 bouillon cube
salt and pepper
dash of sugar
1/4 cup sliced green olives (optional)
2 tsp curry powder (optional if you want unique flavor)

mix all ingredients in a large plastic bowl except habanero peppers and curry

remove chicken, bake, fry or grill chicken (grilling is tastier) until cooked, set aside

remove onions from marinade and fry until translucent add marinade, curry powder if using, habanero peppers and cooked chicken, simmer until slightly thickened, if needed add water 1/4 cup at a time.

serve over rice

Chaf

Chaf means roasted in wollof but is most commonly known as a sea sand roasted groundnut, ladies bring their large pots out and cook the nuts in the sand and then sift out the sand and serve you a portion in paper cones made of newspaper. You can achieve this at home in a heavy bottom pot over the stove but I think you lose some of the ambiance of this snack and since I don't live by the sea anymore this is what I do,

2 cups raw shelled groundnuts
4 cups water
2 tsp salt

soak the nuts in salted water for about 2 hours

preheat over to 350*, drain nuts

cook on a baking sheet for about 1/2 hour or until skins slip off easily

(make up your own spice mix to sprinkle on while cooking)

Fufu

Fufu is a thick paste that is used to scoop up your favorite soup

2 pounds of yams peeled and cubed
3 cups of water
2 tsp salt

cook yams in salted water until easily mashed, drain and puree through a food mill over a bowl.

pound the yam with a wooden mallet, dip the mallet with cold water to keep it moist and to prevent it from sticking. Pound until the yam is together but still slightly sticky

get a bowl full of cold water and a large plate, sprinkle the plate with cold water, wet your hands and take about 1/4 yam paste and roll on the plate or in between your hands into balls, dip your hands in water to keep them moist and from sticking to the paste continue until all paste is balled.

*you can buy instant fufu flour in west African food stores if this seems too daunting :)

serve with soupa kanja

Soupa Kanja

The star of this soup is the okra(kanja) and red palm oil, if you ever get the pleasure of visiting the Gambia, this soup is traditionally made every Saturday in almost all homes for lunch. I make this soup according to what I have available in Canada. The inspiration for the gumbos you may have tried probably originated from this West African stew.

1 cup palm oil (make sure it is red not the refined palm oil)
1 pound stew meat cut into cubes
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 habanero peppers
five to ten cups water
one smoked or dried fish, cleaned, rinsed in water, and bones removed, broken into bite-sized pieces, I use smoked cod(no bones)
one fresh fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
twenty to thirty okra, ends removed sliced thin or puree
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp cumin powder
salt, cayenne pepper (to taste)

Fry the meat in a little oil then add the onions
add the water and okra and cook on low until the soup thickens
add the fish, the peppers, cumin and bouillon cube
add the rest of the palm oil and cook until it rises to the top
serve over rice or with fufu
(I love carrots, I add them to everything)

Kaani Sauce

Just another way to say Hot Sauce, everything my husband eats must have this, accara, doughnuts, steak.

1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1/2 can tomato paste
bay leaf
habanero pepper
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
1 cup of water
oil

fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until translucent add other ingredients and simmer on low until thick, you can serve as is or puree. (take the habanero pepper out if you puree or it may be to hot)

Saffron Rice with Chicken and Dates

4 chicken drum sticks
2 cups of rice
6 dates pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp saffron soaked in 1/2 cup of water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 onion chopped
1 carrot sliced
1/2 cup
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup corn niblets
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of ghee

Rub 4 chicken drum sticks with salt and pepper

Fry in a small amount of ghee until cooked

add onion and carrot cook lightly

add remaining ghee and coat rice

add 4 cups chicken stock and water with soaked saffron

add corn and all spices simmer covered until cooked

stir in dates and peas, let stand for 5 minutes covered, serve

Bissap

2 litres of water
1 cup sorrel
1 cup sugar
bunch of mint (optional)

Bring water to a boil, add sorrel and mint, steep for 4 hours, strain into a pitcure,add sugar, stir serve cold over ice.

Churah Gerteh

This is a popular African breakfast dish made of peanuts and rice, I really like eating this during Ramadan. Here's how I do it.

2 cups of cooked rice
1/2 cup of peanut butter
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.

dish into bowls then add milk or yogurt to your liking.